Thus Spake Zaranephilpal/KeyOfHeaven
Nephilpal - 12/06/2003 04:18:14
I had this idea earlier in the evening...
Key of Heaven</b>
<b>Cost: 30 motes, 1 Willpower Duration: Instant Type: Simple Minimum Temperance: 5 Minimum Essence: 6 Prerequisite Charms: Transport
While lesser functionaries of the Celestial Bureaucracy must enter Yu Shan through one of the 60 fixed gates across Creation, suffiently high-ranking and powerful deities may use this Charm to summon the mobile Calibration Gate. Before activating this Charm and spending Essence, roll the god's Essence + Occult at standard difficulty. Unless events of the story dictate otherwise, a failure indicates the gate has been recently summoned by another spirit or Exalt and will not be available again for a number of minutes equal to (3 x the number rolled on one die). A botch adds five minutes to this waiting period for every "1" rolled, to a maximum delay of a half hour. A failed or botched roll prohibts actual use of this Charm until the waiting period ends, but also waives the need for another Essence + Occult check if the spirit uses the Charm at the exact moment the gate becomes available. If the roll succeeds, the spirit can activate Key of Heaven to transport the Calibration Gate to his current location. This archway of jade, moonsilver, orichalcum and starmetal appears with a flash of glowing Essence directly in front of the god, remaining in place until used (during Calibration) or until dawn (during the rest of the year). The gate prematurely moves if summmoned by a Charm, spell or astrological effect, but may not be compelled by such magic until a full half hour has passed since the last summoning. If the spirit calling the gate is currently incorporeal, the arch likewise appears in an immaterial state until it moves again. Materialized spirits cause the gate to arrive in a solid state. While demons can technically learn Key of Heaven (and most demons of the Second and Third Circle know this Charm), the terms of the Yozi surrender prevent demons from actually summoning the Calibration Gate. This ban would theoretically end for all demons if one of the Yozis somehow escaped Malfeas and returned to its ancient abode in Yu Shan. Likewise, Abyssal Exalted of the Moonshadow Caste cannot use their anima power to learn this Charm, as the precepts of Heaven oppose manipulation by the Chosen of the Neverborn. Solar Exalted of the Eclipse Caste may learn this Charm with their anima normally, though gods rarely teach the magic to any but the staunchest heroes and allies of Heaven.
Two additional restrictions govern this Charm's use. First, Key of Heaven only functions within the borders of Creation; spirits cannot summon the Calibration Gate within the Wyld, the Underworld, Malfeas, Autocthonia or any sanctum (including Yu Shan). More importantly, this Charm is a privilege of high divine station. Any being without three dots of Connections in one of the Celestial Bureaus (or a comparable level of status awarded by another Background) risks audit for a Severity 2 offense per use of this Charm, especially if an unlucky summoning forced a more powerful deity in the Celestial Bureaucracy to wait for the Calibration Gate to become available.
What do you all think?
--Neph
Nephilpal - 12/06/2003 09:42:11
I agree... mainly for Siddies... which is why you can get audited for using it unless you have sufficient political clout and Essence 6+ (vs. no political requirements and Essence 4+ for Sidereals to learn the spell).
--Neph
